Network camera systems can be based on the Internet protocol (IP) and use Ethernet based networking technology. In some applications, network camera systems are replacing analog closed circuit television (CCTV) due to various factors, such as accessibility, ease-of-use, cabling scalability, and lower cost of deployment and operation. With the ubiquity of wireless networks such as WiFi networks (based on IEEE 802.11 standards) and the emerging WiMAX networks (based on IEEE 802.16 standards), wireless network camera systems are gaining popularity and are expected to become the dominant platform for video surveillance applications.
In an IP surveillance environment, the network camera system can include IP cameras connected via twisted pair cabling to a network switch. Alternatively, the network connection can be achieved using wireless local area networking (LAN) technology; e.g., the IEEE 802.11b standard. In various applications, IP cameras can include a web-server capability and remote clients or observers connected to the camera via standard TCP/IP interface standards such as FTP or HTTP. IP based network camera systems can be designed using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components from a diverse number of suppliers.